Everything you need to get rid of leftover paint responsibly in Cambridge.
50 Mooney St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Enter from Fawcett Street. Stay in your car; staff take items only from the trunk or truck bed, and bins and boxes are not returned. People on foot or bike use a separate station. The June 9 event was a Tuesday afternoon; the others are Saturday mornings.
Your state doesn’t have a PaintCare program, so stores here don’t take paint for free. These are the public drop-off programs PaintCare’s map lists, closest first. Most only serve their own residents and some charge a fee. Call before you go.
1 Franey Rd, Somerville, MA 02145
50 Mooney St, Cambridge, MA 02138
21 James St, Medford, MA 02155
815 Newton St, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
115 Rumford Ave, Auburndale, MA 02466
115 Rumford Ave, Auburndale, MA 02466
25 Dow St, Saugus, MA 01906
60 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02421
41 Terrace Hall Ave, Burlington, MA 01803
1421 Central Ave, Needham, MA 02492
505 Main St, Lynnfield, MA 01940
From PaintCare’s drop-off map ↗, updated October 6, 2026. Hours and limits are PaintCare’s. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
Dry it at home. Open the can outside or stir in kitty litter, then set it next to your trash with the lid off. No event needed.
Hold it for November 7 at 50 Mooney Street. Pack it in the trunk, bring proof of residency, and stay in the car while staff unload.
If it's over 25 pounds or 25 gallons, email recycle@cambridgema.gov before November 7. Paint from a business or a construction job isn't accepted.
Walk or bike to the event; there's a separate station for you, and staff or police will point you to it. Or ask a neighbor with a car to bring your paint, as the city suggests.
Bring latex or oil-based paint to Cambridge's last 2026 hazardous waste day: Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 50 Mooney Street (enter from Fawcett Street), with proof that you live in Cambridge. Or dry latex and set the open can next to your trash at the curb.
Cambridge, Massachusetts takes both latex and oil-based paint at its four household hazardous waste days at 50 Mooney Street. Only one 2026 date is left: Saturday, November 7. Between events, dry latex can go out with your trash, lid off. The Recycling Center on Hampshire Street doesn't list paint among the things it takes.
Cambridge held collection days on April 11, June 9 and August 29, 2026. The last one this year is Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 50 Mooney Street. The city's brochure says each year's events are announced in early February.
The city's list says "Paints: Oil-Based & Latex." So if drying a lot of latex isn't practical, bring it to the November 7 event with your oil paint.
Enter from Fawcett Street. Staff unload only from your trunk or truck bed, and you can't get out of your car. Bins and boxes aren't returned. If you walk or bike in, there's a separate drop-off station, and staff or police will help when you arrive.
Property managers bringing more than 25 pounds or 25 gallons from a Cambridge residential building must email recycle@cambridgema.gov ahead of time. Do the same if you don't have proof that you live in Cambridge.
The Recycling Center at 147 Hampshire Street takes batteries, fluorescent bulbs, mercury items and motor oil. Paint isn't on its list. Empty aerosol cans aren't taken at collection days either.
There's no free store take-back in Massachusetts; PaintCare doesn't run a program here. If you miss November 7, the city suggests asking a neighbor to bring your items to a later collection, or paying Clean Harbors in Braintree (781-380-7100) by the pound. Somerville runs its own drop-off on the second Saturday of each month, April through November, at 1 Franey Road, for Somerville residents only.
Keep paint in its original, labeled can with the lid on tight. Clear everything else out of the trunk so it isn't taken by mistake. Bring proof that you live in Cambridge. For latex going in the trash, leave the lid off, let it dry outside or add kitty litter, and set the can next to your trash at the curb.
Full preparation checklist →Yes, once it's dried out. Leave the lid off and set the can next to your household trash at the curb. You can let it dry outside or add kitty litter to speed it up.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 50 Mooney Street. It's the last of the four 2026 events. Watch for 2027 dates, which the city says are announced in early February.
Yes, at the collection days. The Recycling Center on Hampshire Street doesn't list paint among the things it takes, so plan on a collection day.
Email recycle@cambridgema.gov before the event if you're bringing more than 25 pounds or 25 gallons. Commercial and construction waste isn't accepted.
No. It's for Cambridge residents only. Somerville holds its own drop-off at its DPW yard, 1 Franey Road, on the second Saturday of each month from April through November, 9 a.m. to noon. It's for Somerville residents with proof of address; the last 2026 date it lists is Saturday, November 14.
October 7, 2026: read Cambridge's household hazardous waste page (last modified May 28, 2026), the August 29, 2026 event notice, the city's curbside brochure and reduce-and-reuse page, Milton's page on Clean Harbors Braintree, MassDEP's household products page and guide (through archived copies because mass.gov blocks scripted requests), and PaintCare's state list and locator data (which list the 50 Mooney Street events, with walk-up and Fawcett Street details). The April 11, June 9 and August 29, 2026 events are past; November 7 is upcoming. Unresolved: what counts as proof of residency (the city just says proof), any per-household paint limit for residents, and Clean Harbors' own hours, price and latex policy. No paint swap or reuse program found. Peer review the same day re-read all sources, confirmed Somerville's residents-only monthly drop-off on Somerville's own pages, and removed a Medford claim that rested only on PaintCare's locator data.
Checked October 7, 2026 against these sources, not by phone. How we research.
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